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Lynn S. Byrd

The Paducah Sun
May 30, 2011

CAIRO, Ill. — Lynn S. Byrd, 59, of Cairo died Saturday at his home.

He was a retired principal with the Cairo Public School System. He was a member of the Ward Chapel AME Church in Cairo, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Masonic Lodge.

Mr. Byrd is survived by his wife, Alcenia Byrd; two daughters, Cozetta Hurston of Clarksville, Tenn., and Lavonia Whitaker of Lawton, Okla.; three sons, Ronald Johnson of Columbus, Ohio, Darryl Johnson of Cairo, and Hobart Lambert, Jr. of Leavenworth, Kan.; one sister, Beverly Wells of Carbondale; 15 grandchildren, and several great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Barkett Funeral Home of Cairo with the Rev. Ron Woods officiating. Interment will be private.

Friends may call after 6 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

Point of Personal Privilege...

Since I don't do eulogies well in person (having my brother-in-law and sister-in law - John and Rachel - deliver my tribute to Julie...and not faring well on others), I shall take this occasion to offer my thoughts on the passing of Lynn Byrd...

I shall remember Lynn as a man of courage and conviction.

I first met Lynn when he was job-searching...back in the late 70s/early 80s. Lynn contacted Julie to type up his résumé. I did the proofreading and quickly learned that Lynn had the smarts...could toss around the educational buzz words with the best of them.

Unfortunately, Lynn had two strikes against him...being black, being overweight.

Lynn also had an affectation (quite possibly "learned" growing up in a racist time in a racist town) that may well have been strike three in job interviews...difficulty in looking a person in the eye when talking to them.

However, Lynn persevered and prevailed, holding various positions before returning "home" as principal of Cairo Junior/Senior High School.

I had a "preview of coming attractions" when I attended a meeting at the Cairo School District Central Office...a meeting in which the new superintendent laid the problems of the District directly at the feet of the teachers.

Lynn could have sat silently by...most administrators would have. No tenure like teachers, their positions resting solely at the mercy of Superintendents and School Board Members. Especially so, since visions of job-searching were still very fresh in his mind. But, no. Lynn spoke up...defending teachers, explaining that Cairo had a "culture thing" that was difficult to overcome.

That position did not earn Lynn friends (since the teachers were not there to hear it) but certainly earned him enemies (probably explaining why he was "kicked upstairs" to the Central Office...to be eventually dismissed.)

Call it coincidence...

In Lynn's final year, he was called to testify at the IELRB hearing concerning the matter of James Gibson's wrongful dismissal.

James wanted to call Lynn as a witness in his behalf. (As new principal of CJSHS, Lynn had interviewed James for a teaching position. According to James, Lynn had told him at the conclusion of the interview that he had done well. Yet, James was not hired.)

As you may have heard, attorneys do not like to call witnesses unless they know what their response is going to be. They do not want to be blindsided...understandably so. James' attorney was highly skeptical that Lynn would "deliver"...that he would testify against his employer, putting his own job in jeopardy. Thus, the decision was made not to call Lynn.

However...

When James testified about how the hiring interview went and the District Superintendent testified to the contrary, well what's an Administrative Law Judge to think?

James told his attorney..."Call Lynn Byrd to testify!" The attorney was still reluctant...preferring to leave it at "he said, he said" rather than risk making it 2-1 in favor of the District. Best to leave it a tie...hope that the other evidence will carry the day.

James' attorney asked me..."What do you think?"

I knew Lynn as a good man...a man who would not tell a lie. I was not privy to the job interview - did not actually hear what Lynn told James at its conclusion. However, James was adamant that Lynn had told him that he had done a good job...and I had never found any reason to doubt James' account of events. Therefore, I told the attorney that I agreed with James..."Call Lynn Byrd to testify."

And testify he did...

...to James' version of events, in direct contradiction to the District Superintendent's version of events.

(Then Senator) John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize for history in 1957 for his book "Profiles in Courage".

If I ever write that book about Cairo School District Number One that folks are always asking for, well, Lynn Byrd will be front and center...standing right between Julie and James.

It is said:

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

For that, I shall forever hold Lynn Byrd in the highest esteem.

May God bless you, Lynn, and may you rest in peace.